Rich Dad Poor Dad

Wow! This book states that kids don't learn about investing or saving money at school. They learn it from their parents. With the stock market so uncertain right now, it looks like real estate might be a good way to invest. Too bad the book doesn't tell people how to do it, just what not to do. I enjoyed this book as a springboard into more books and workshops on money. Funny, since I don't care for stuff. I do care a lot about financial security in uncertain times and I don't want to rely on the government to take care of me in my old age. What I learned about retirement homes recently is that if you have enough money you get to pick your retirement home or living environment, but if you don't the government will pick where you live. Let me tell you, it's not the same quality for low income homes as the other ones. This is what drives me to learn more about tax laws, investing, etc. Good luck to you as well!

Off Duty

It has come to my attention that everyone needs a few minutes each day to regroup and focus on what needs to be done. I have started telling my kids that at 9pm I am "off duty." This gives me a few minutes to myself on days my husband is out of town. Otherwise, I try to go "off duty" during the day for about 30 minutes. It helps me not feel overwhelmed and undervalued. Do you take a few minutes each day, or do you try taking time on a weekly basis?

Privilege with Responsibility

My daughter is 5. She cried all the way to swim class because we forgot her goggles. I told her sometimes I make a checklist so I don't forget things. She liked the idea. She also wanted to walk to class on her own. I told her if she uses her checklist every day and is responsible, she can have the privilege of walking to class alone.  She drew her own pictures of what to take. Let's see if she can remember to do it each day. Hmm, I might remind her 15 minutes before we have to leave so she has time to gather everything. She can't read a clock yet.

Selflessness and Getting our Needs Met

Are your basic needs being met? Do you have enough food, shelter, and love? When a person feels resentment toward another person it is often because their basic needs aren't being met. They feel jealous that someone else has more. We need to take the resentment out of the equation and face our own feelings. I have my kids think about what they want. Then ask. Look inside yourself and search for the source of the resentment. Currently, my basic needs are all being met, so it is very easy for me to be selfless. I can give money because I have enough. I can give time because I have enough. But there was a time when I did not have my basic needs met. I think the goal in this life is to stop feeling resentment toward others and be selfless both in times of plenty and times of famine. When we are in need we should recognize it and ask for help. Sometimes there is no other option but to do without. It is in those times that we call upon God to give us strength and eventually change our attitude about the situation so we can be an instrument of God's love to others instead of being a big grump. In those times when we do have enough, we need to show gratitude and then share. If we are continuing to seek what we don't have once our needs are met, we have lost sight of the goal to be more Christ-like. Find a way to show selflessness at home or at work today!

Combat Selfishness

Here are 4 ways to combat selfishness in our kids. 1) Give them service opportunities. 2) Don't give them everything without them working for some of it. 3) Show gratitude to God for our blessings. 4) If they don't respect what we give them, they don't get to use it.

Chores by age from Focus on the Family

Here's another great resource for what chores your child can do. I often forget to bring the chores up to the next level. I remember feeling that things were unfair as a child, but now that I think of it, my younger siblings had to do chores at a younger age than I did. I still feel that the money was given unequally to the younger kids. I guess I should have whined more! Seriously though, I want to try making things as fair as possible for my kids by following trusted lists such as this one on age-appropriate chores.

Too Much TV

I've struggled with TV lately and tried a ticket system which I've abandoned and plan to try again later. With 1 child napping and the older one, Stacy, waiting for her to wake up, I don't know what to do with her! So we switched from TV to computer games. I have discovered that computer games don't affect her as negatively as watching TV. She doesn't become as defiant or zoned out of reality. I felt horrible about allowing Stacy to play on the computer for 2 or more hours while her sister Emma sleeps. I also only allow her to play games that have an educational or social aspect. Once she's on it's difficult to get her off, so the new rule is she has to stop when her sister wakes up and Stacy can't start until after 20 minutes of quality time with me. She gets to pick between reading or Wii Sport.  So far she chooses reading every time! I keep following the same trick of requiring some task before she gets the reward. I do that with eating as well. After she eats all her food groups she gets the desert.

Spoiled or Not?

When I was a kid, I had 2 pairs of pants and 1 Barbie. Now my daughter has more than she can handle. So how can you tell if your child is becoming spoiled? Well, does your child value her things? Does she have to work for some toys and work to repair damages? Having taught in several schools, I have found that each school has a culture. I taught in 2 affluent schools. In one the children acted spoiled and in the other they did not. I could tell right away what the difference was. The good school had regular service projects. The students wrote letters to the troops, they recycled, they donated food. This is key! I have already taken my kids around to sell cookies and donate the money to needy kids. We will go the the retirement center with flowers in the spring. One more way to keep your child from being spoiled is to put your foot down and don't give in! If they want a toy, maybe you'll say yes, but if you say no, you can't change your mind. Spoiled is the result of being allowed to make an unfair number of choices for a family. Our children are expected to respect authority and are allowed to discuss their opinions in a respectful way.

The Parenting Breakthrough by Boyack

This is an LDS book about teaching responsibility. I love the concept that the chores your kids do are preparing them for adult life. The author writes about allowance, and budgeting as well. I noticed that the principles in this book apply to spirituality as well, since children practice gospel techniques a little at a time with parents demonstrating how to do them and eventually kids have to become responsible for themselves.

Confess Your Parenting Style!

1. How much Control do you seek to impose on your child's life? 2. How much warmth or Nurturing to you demonstrate? 3. How much Anxiety do you show when you interact with your child? Answer each of these with either high or low.